The Ansett Debarcle

[thegoldenbear]

Hey kids. With the cricket one day finals in progress that means one thing......Footy is coming back! But getting back to my subject. The Ansett Cup. What is the point. O.K. sure the supporters can see new signings and recruits run around in the jumper, but apart from that what else? It is not a form guide for the upcomming season and the number of players that get wiped out for the season are staggering. I know teams have to prepare and get match fitness, but a practice game is not quite the same as playing for $8,000. Basically I want it scrapped and let the teams play practice games on Colonial or the Gabba or wherever.

 

[magpie_joffa]

lets rename it the 'joffa airlines the friendly way' cup

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I get up in the evening and i ain't got nothing to say,I come home in the morning,I go to bed feeling the same way,I ain't nothing but tired,Man i'm just tired and bored with myself,Hey there baby,I could use just a little help.

 

[sandie]

Joffa
Great suggestion I'll second that.
Golden Bear, you haven't said which team you support, but I am guessing your team has never won an Ansett Cup. The club that wins it gets much needed prize money & a cup to add to their trophy cabinet.

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Frodo does not exist outside of Tolkien's imagination

 

[Pessimistic]

Last years AC semi-finalists were also the premiership Prelim-finalists.

I wouldn't mind betting that the same thing happens this year.

So apart from perhaps the Eagles and Crows you can bet it's a good guide to form generally.

And If you are a victorian club and win it, you stand to get up to a 7,000 boost in members (It happened to Hawthorn and Essendon) which is worth more in dollars to a club than a Premiership)

 

[carb70]

I think the simple anwser to why will we have the Ansett cup is, it gives the AFL the chance to make money.

 

[thegoldenbear]

I'm a Saints supporter and I think we won it a few years ago. What happened then, we got all excitied and failed to make the finals. The year after we didn't even bother and finished on top of the ladder. As for last year's semi being the same as the the real semi's, that's drawing a long bow, with the way the teams are divided up in the Cup. People might buy memberships if the team wins the Ansett Cup, but if the team then fails to win another game, you think someone is gonna buy a membership the following year on the form they showed in the Ansett Cup?

 

[McKenna for PM]

OK here's my idea. Tell me if it's crap.

I reckon the Ansett Cup should remain, but it should instead be integrated into the H&A season. Perhaps the teams that are 1st and 2nd on the ladder after 7 or 8 rounds of the H&A season could play-off in the following round for the Ansett Cup (which would represent a legitimate H&A game), which would allow all (or at least most) the sponsorship money to remain, and that way we would see all teams giving it a shot.

The problem, though, would be in structuring the rounds in order to allow 1st and 2nd to play each other whilst keeping a fair draw.

Agree? Disagree?

 

[dees01]

There is no point to the Ansett Cup. It is just a money making exercise for the AFL.

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The Melbourne Football Club: Tradition, Heritage, Excitement

 

[elt]

McKenna,

Apart from being a logistical nightmare, I am not convinced your suggestion would actually keep the sponsorship money as you make out. Would Ansett pay as much to sponsor a one-off glorified H&A match as a tournament running over a number of weeks and being played in locations all over the country? Surely they would receive less exposure for their brand name and product and as a result would not be willing to pay as much for it.

To say nothing of the fact that gate revenue is entirely lost as rather than having a separate competition (is there an echo in here?) the preliminary rounds are the first 6 or 7 H&A rounds.

 

[carb70]

Thats a good idea Mckenna for PM. The only thing is rather than make the GF a minor round game why don't we have a 2 week break from the season and make 1st and 2nd play the GF during that break. So the GF would be for prize money rather than premiership points which means there would be no need to adjust the draw.

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Oh shush! - wash your mouth out Pessimistic! The Ansett Cup will be an excellent indication of our form this year... because for the first time ever we're taking it seriously

KJ promised

This way we get to lose half our team to injury earlier in the year to save us fans getting our hopes up about the coming season! And it gives Kenny a ready-made excuse when the team falls in a heap half way through the year

Best thing all round really....